Microsoft Outlook stands out as a dependable email client for handling both personal and professional accounts. With features like folder creation and email organization, managing conversations becomes effortless. Additionally, Outlook offers email encryption, a valuable feature appreciated by office professionals.
It’s important to note that sending secure emails in Outlook is possible with a Microsoft 365 subscription (Personal, Family, Enterprise, or Business Premium). If you’re curious about how to do this, don’t worry. This post will guide you through the steps to encrypt emails in Outlook on both Mac and Windows PCs.
How to Encrypt Email in Microsoft Outlook on Windows 11
If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can send encrypted emails to your contacts effortlessly. The default option for sending encrypted emails using Outlook is OME, or Office 365 Message Encryption. Fortunately, you don’t need to install any certificates to encrypt your email.
Step 1: Launch Outlook on your Windows PC.
Step 2: Click on New Email at the top-left corner.
Step 3: Click on Options in the Menu Bar.
Step 4: Click the Encrypt icon and select Encrypt.
You will see a message that says, “This message will be encrypted.”
Step 5: Enter all the details and send your encrypted email.
Automatically Encrypt All Emails in Outlook on Windows 11
If you want to encrypt all your emails, follow these steps to enable the option. First, switch to the Legacy version of Outlook on your Windows PC.
Step 1: Open Outlook on your Windows PC or laptop.
Step 2: Click on New Outlook toggle at the top-right corner.
Step 3: Click on Skip Feedback to switch to Legacy Outlook.
Step 4: Once done, start a new email and click on File at the top-left corner of the compose window.
Step 5: Select Options at the bottom-right corner.
Step 6: Click Trust Center in the left menu and select Trust Center Settings.
Step 7: Select Email Security and enable the option of ‘Encrypt contents and attachments for outgoing messages.’
Step 6: Click OK to confirm.
To switch back to the New Outlook version, click on New Outlook at the top-right corner.
How to Encrypt Email in Microsoft Outlook on Mac
Here’s how you can send encrypted emails from the Outlook app on your Mac.
Step 1: Open the Outlook app on your Mac.
Step 2: Click on New Email at the top-right corner.
Step 3: Click the three dots towards the top right side of the Compose section and select Encryption.
Please note that the Encryption option appears greyed out for our Outlook account because we don’t have the signing certificate necessary to send encrypted emails. However, if you have a Microsoft 365 membership, this shouldn’t be a problem.
Step 4: After selecting encryption, fill in all the relevant details and send your email.
Automatically Encrypt All Emails in Outlook on Mac
Step 1: Open Outlook on your Mac.
Step 2: Click Tools from the Menu Bar at the top and select Accounts
Step 3: Click on Security below your Outlook account details.
Step 4: When selecting the option to sign all outgoing messages, ensure to consider the encryption category of your certificate.
Step 5: Click OK.
Once again, note that we don’t have any signing certificates on our Mac, which is why the options are greyed out.
Open and View Encrypted Emails in Outlook
When confronting an encoded Outlook message in your Gmail or Yahoo account, adhere to these instructions to observe the communication:
Step 1: Navigate to your mailbox and identify the encrypted Outlook message you’ve been sent.
Step 2: Inside the message, seek and select the choice marked ‘Read the message.
Step 3: You can now utilize your Google account or acquire a six-digit authentication code to access the email contents.
Can you prevent email forwarding in outlook
You can limit the recipients’ ability to forward your encoded emails. Here’s how to activate that feature in your Outlook account.
Step 1: Launch Outlook on your Windows computer.
Step 2: Compose a new email and click on Options in the Menu Bar.
Step 3: Select Do Not Forward.
This action will deter forwarding of your encoded email. You will likewise encounter the identical choice in the Outlook application on Mac when accessing the Encryption feature.
How to move the Encrypt button in Outlook
You can also opt to relocate the Encrypt button within the Outlook application. Here are the instructions to move the Encrypt buttons for both Mac and Windows PC.
For Windows PC:
These instructions are applicable to users of the Legacy Outlook version.
Step 1: Launch Outlook on your Windows PC.
Step 2: Select the toolbar containing your Encryption option.
Step 3: Right-click on the toolbar ribbon and choose Customize Ribbon.
Step 4: Within Customize Classic Ribbon, expand Options, then select Encrypt.
Step 5: Employ the arrow icon to relocate the Encrypt option to a different toolbar.
Step 6: Click OK at the bottom to confirm your choice.